“Software as a Service” (SaaS) is a software delivery model where a software vendor develops a web-native software application hosts and operates (either independently or through a third-party) the application for use by its customers over a computer network, such as the Internet. Typical advantages of SaaS usually include the customers not taking title to the product, no inventory or logistics, no contractual reselling activity, no repair service, and usually no physical goods to install or connect. In the SaaS model, the customers generally do not pay for owning the software itself but instead pay a usage fee for using the product.
Some key characteristics of SaaS software generally include the following. First, SaaS generally provides network-based access to, and management of, commercially available (i.e., non-custom) software. Second, activities are generally managed from central locations rather than at each customer's site, thereby enabling customers to access applications remotely via a computer network, such as the Internet. Third, application delivery typically is closer to a one-to-many model (single instance, multi-tenant architecture) than to a one-to-one model, including architecture, pricing, partnering, and management characteristics. And fourth, SaaS provides centralized feature updating, which obviates the need for downloading patches and upgrades.
Management as a Service (MaaS) refers to offering IT Management Services using the SaaS delivery model. The consumers of the ‘Management as a Service’ are typically IT elements (such as, Server Nodes, Network elements, Storage servers, etc.). In this respect, MaaS differs from SaaS. A MaaS Provider refers to the service vendor, who offers IT Management Services using the SaaS delivery mode. The Maas Provider hosts the management services on a SaaS Platform and provides them remotely to a consumer over a network. A MaaS Tenant refers to the consumer of IT Management Services using the SaaS delivery model. The MaaS Tenant subscribes to the MaaS Provider for the Management services and consumes them remotely.